16 Tenses in English Grammar

1. Simple Present Tense

This tenses are used to denote something that is fixed, habitual or an essential truth.
(+) Subject (s) + Verb1 + Object (o)
ex: I have breakfast every morning
(-) S+do/does not+Verb1+O
ex: She doesnt have breakfast
(?) Do/Does + S + Verb1 + O
ex: Does she have breakfast?

1. She does not play tennis.

2. Does he play tennis?
3. The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
4. The train does not leave at 9 AM.
5. When does the train usually leave?
6. California is in America.
7. California is not in the United Kingdom.
8. Windows are made of glass.
9. Windows are not made of wood.
10. When do we board the plane?

2. Present Continuous Tense

This tenses are used to express an action which is actually being done at this
time.
(+) S + to be + Verb-ing + O
ex: They are riding the bicycle
(-) S + to be + not + Verb-ing + O
ex: They are not riding the bicycle
(?) to be + S + Verb-ing + O
ex: Are they riding the bicycle?
1. We are having lunch.
2. We are not having lunch right now.
3. Are you having lunch right now?
4. They are singing very nicely.
5. The kids are sleeping.
6. Why are the kids sleeping?
7. Bella is playing the guitar and Andrew is listening to her.

8. What are Bella and Andrew doing?

9. I am meeting Robert this afternoon.
10. Are you coming with us to the party tonight?

3. Present Perfect Tense

This tenses are used to express your experience. This sentence can used to say that you have
never had a certain experience. Present Perfect Tense didnt use to describe specific event.
(+) S + Has/Have + Past Participle (V3)
ex: I have met her once before
(-) S + Has/Have + not + past participle (V3)
ex: I have not met her before
(?) Has/Have + S + past participle (V3)

ex: Have you met her before?

1. I have seen that movie twenty times.

2. I think I have met him once before.
3. There have been many earthquakes in California.
4. People have traveled to the Moon.
5. People have not traveled to Mars.
6. Have you read the book yet?
7. Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
8. You have grown since the last time I saw you.
9. The government has become more interested in arts education.
10. Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian
studies program was established.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to show that something started in the past and has
continued up until now. for two hours, for two weeks, since yesterday are all durations
which can be used with this sentence. Without the durations, the tense has a more general
meaning of lately. We often use the words lately or recently to emphasize this meaning.
(+) S + have/has + been + Verb-ing + O

ex: We have been practicing for OSCE since Monday.

(-) S + have/has + been + Verb-ing + O
ex: We have not been practicing for OSCE
(?) have/has + S + been + Verb-ing + O
ex: Have they been practicing for OSCE?

1. They have been talking for the last hour.

2. She has been working at that company for three years.
3. What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?
4. James has been teaching at the university since June.
5. We have been waiting here for over two hours!
6. Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?
7. Have you been exercising lately?
8. Mary has been feeling a little depressed.
9. Lisa has not been practicing her English.
10. What have you been doing?

5. Simple Past Tense

We used this tense to talk about the past.

(+) S + Verb2 + O
ex: She studied anatomy last night
(-) S + did + not + Verb1
ex: She did not study anatomy last night
(?) did + S + verb1 + O
ex: Did she study anatomy last night?

1. Did you move here in 1991?

2. When did you move here?
3. Sophia and I met yesterday.
4. In the end, Sophia did not show up.
5. They were very pleased.
6. They were not pleased at all.
7. I worked for Microsoft.
8. I lived in Brazil for two years.
9. Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

10. They sat at the beach all day

6. Past Continuous Tense

This tense is used to say when we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past.
(+) S + was/were + Verb-ing
Ex: I am reading Quran
(-) S + was/were + not + Verb-ing
ex: He wasnt reading Quran
(?) Was/were + S + Verb-ing
ex: Was he reading Quran?

1. I was watching TV when she called.

2. When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
3. While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
4. What were you doing when the earthquake started?
5. I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.

6. You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
7. While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
8. Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
9. While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
10. At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.

7. Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It
can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
(+)S+had+past participle
ex: Ivan had listen to the radio when he came home
1. I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
2. I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
3. Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
4. Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
5. She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
6. Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
7. We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.

8. We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
9. By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
10. They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty
years.

8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up
until another time in the past. For five minutes and for two weeks are both durations which
can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect
Continuous however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in
the past.
(+) S + had + been + Verb-ing
ex: Annisa had been studying at the university for 1 year before she left to Korea.

1. They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.

2. She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.
3. How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
4. Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.
5. James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia.
6. Jason was tired because he had been jogging.
7. Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
8. Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
9. How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara?
10. I had not been studying Turkish very long.

9. Simple Future Tense

Often called will. because, the modal auxiliary verb in this sentence is will.
(+) S + WILL + Verb1
ex: I will dance
(-) S+WILL+not+Verb1
ex: I wont dance
(?) will + S + Verb1

ex: Will she dance?

1. I will send you the information when I get it.

2. I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
3. Will you help me move this heavy table?
4. Will you make dinner?
5. I will not do your homework for you.
6. I won't do all the housework myself!
7. I will call you when I arrive.
8. If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to
inexpensive health insurance.
9. I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
10. Don't worry, I'll be careful.

10. Future Continuous Tense

Future Continuous has two different forms: will be doing and be going to be doing. Future
Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

(+) S + will be + Verb-ing

ex: I will be going to mosque.
(-) S + will not be + Verb-ing
ex: I wont be going to church
(?) will + S + be + Verb-ing
ex: Will you be going to mosque?

1. I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.

2. I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.
3. I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to
contact me.
4. He will be studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when she arrives.
5. Tomorrow at three o'clock Josh will be cooking.
6. It will be raining the entire week.
7. He will be running until he's too tired to move.
8. When will he be running until?
9. When you come, I will be waiting.
10. Where will you be waiting?

11. Future Perfect Tense

This sentence is used when we talk about the past in the future.

(+) S + Will + have + Verb3

ex: I will have finished by 6 PM
(-) S + will + not + have + Verb3
ex: I will not have finished by 6 PM
(?) Will + S + have + Verb3
ex: will you have finished by 6 pm?
1. You are going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
2. Are you going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.?
3. You are not going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.

4.

Jack will have finished his homework by the time his mother gets home.

5.

She will

6.

Laura will have cleaned out the apartment before she gives back the key.

7.

By the time I get home, Zoe will have cooked dinner for both of us.

8.

The robbers will have taken all the money by the time anyone arrives.

have

gotten

ready by

the

time

they

leave

the

house.

9.

By the time he graduates, he will have completed five years of study.

10.

The snow will have stopped by April.

12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about a long action before some point in the
future.(+) S + Will + have + been + Verb-ing
ex: Andra will have been drawing the sketch
(-) S + will + not + have + been + Verb-ing
ex: Andra wont have been drawing the sketch
(?) Will + S + have + been + Verb-ing ?
ex: Will Andra have been drawing the sketch?
1. They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives.
2. She is going to have been working at that company for three years when it
finally closes.
3. James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time
he leaves for Asia.
4. How long will you have been studying when you graduate?

5. We are going to have been driving for over three days straight when we get to
Anchorage.
6. A: When you finish your English course, will you have been living in New Zealand for
over a year?
7. B: No, I will not have been living here that long.
8. By the end of the day, he will have carried ninety bags of potatoes on his back.
9. Tony will be tired when he gets here because he will have been exercisingfor four hours.
10. Even though she will have been dancing the whole night, Monica will still look very
fresh.
13. Past Future Tense
Used to express the events that WILL be done, BUT in the past, not the present.
(the example is the same like Present Future, changed will to be would)
(+) S + would + Verb1
ex: I would go
(-) S + Would + not + Verb1
ex: I wouldnt go
(?) Would + S + Verb1?
ex: Would you go?

1.

I knew you would prepare all the things for the meeting.

2.

They told that they were going to visit Lombok.

3.

I thought she was going to enroll the course.

4.

My uncle told me that he would come on time.

5.

She promised she would give me a box of banana cake.

6.

My father had a strong feeling that the weather would be warm.

7.

I thought that the authorities were going to investigateall allegations of fraud.

8.

I knew the task would be finished in an hour.

9.

We thought a new car was going to be bought by Rizma

14. Past Future Continuous Tense

Past Future Continuous tells an action would be in progress in the past.
(+) S + was/were + going to be + Verb-ing
ex: She was going to be cooking this morning

(-) S + was/were + not + going to be + Verb-ing

ex: She wasnt going to be cooking this morning
(?) Was/were + S + going to be + Verb-ing
ex: was she going to be cooking this morning?

(the example is the same like Present future continues, change present to be become
past tobe)

15. Past Future Perfect Tense

This tense is restates the action stated in Future Perfect Tense but with different time dimension,
it is in past time whilst the Future Perfect is in future time (not happen yet). (imaginary)
(+) S + would + have + Verb3
ex: I would have drunk the milk last night
(-) S + would + not + have + Verb3
ex: I wouldnt have drunk the milk last night
(?) Would + S + have + Verb3
ex: Would you have drunk the milk last night?
1. If you had saved your jewelry and foreign currency in a safety deposit box, they wouldnt
have gone.
(Jika kamu telah menyimpan perhiasan dan mata uang asingmu di safety deposit box,
mereka tidak akan hilang.)
2. You should have recieved your refund by now.
(Kamu seharusnya sudah menerima pengembalian dana.)

3. I could have bought that car, but I prefered to save money and wait for the manual
version.
(Saya dapat sudah membeli mobil itu, tapi saya pilih untuk menyimpan
uang dan menunggu versi manualnya.)
4. The traveler looks far from happy. He may have waitedfor his flight for hours.
(Pelancong itu kelihatan jauh dari bahagia. Dia mungkin telah menunggu
penerbangannya selama berjam-jam.)
5. If I had not drunk milk last night, I wouldnt have had allergic today
16. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense emphasizes on the course and the duration of the
action. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense is used to tell an action which would have been
happening until a certain time (period) in the past.
(+) S + would + have + been + verb-ing
ex: Ogs would have been eating for 6 years when he got brokenheart
(-) S+ would + not + have + been + verb-ing
ex: Ogs wouldnt have been eating for 6 years when he got brokenheart
(?) Would + subject + have + been + verb-ing?
ex: Would Ogs have been eating for 6 years when he got brokenheart?

1.

If we had set the tanks in a proper way, the water would have been flowing out of tank
X

into

tank

at

constant

rate.

(Jika kita telah mengatur tank-tank tersebut dengan cara yan benar, air akan telah
mengalir dari tangki X ke dalam tangki Y dengan laju konstan.)
2. Nisa and her family would have been living at their new house if its construction had
finished.
(Nisa dan keluargaya akan telah menempati rumah baru mereka jika konstruksinya sudah
selesai.)
3. If his Visa had been approved, he would have been working abroad for a week.
(Jika visa dia telah disetujui, dia akan telah bekerja selama seminggu.)